Concrete block molding machine



July 18, 1950 J. w. BRISCOE CONCRETE BLOCK MOLDING CI-IINE 4 Sheet 1Filed July 1. 1948 TOR:

/Scog J. W. BRISCOE CONCRETE BLOCK MOLDING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed y 31. 1948 INVENT H N E m T A July 18, 1950 r J. w. sRlsco2,515,491

CONCRETE BLOCK MOLDING MACHINE Filed July 31, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR.

7 1 ,4&. BY IMBR/scoii 7 WW HTTORNE).

July 18, 1950 J. w. BRISCOE CONCRETE BLOCK MOLDING MACHINE 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 31, 1948 INVENTOR. I M BRISCOE HTTORNEKPatented July 18, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONCRETE BLOCKMOLDING MACHINE. JamesW. Brisooe, Los Angeles, Calif. Application July31, 1948, Serial No. 41,735

Claims.

This invention relates to hydraulic means, for producing hollow buildingblocks and has for its main object to provide a machine of this typewhich is substantially automatic in its operation.

Hollow building blocks, such as commonly used in present-day buildingpractice, are usually molded from concrete or other finely comminutedmaterial and the blocks "most favored and best suited for buildingpurposes are of the so-called interlocking variety. The present deviceis designed to produce such interlocking blocks. The various objects 'ofthe invention, together with the many advantageous features thereof willbe better understood from the following detailed description and byreferring to the accompanying drawings of which: i

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of a block molding machine embodyingthe invention;

Fig. 2 is a substantially corresponding view showing the device in adifferent position of adjustment and with portions thereof broken awayfor the sake of clearness;

Figs. 3 and 4 are plan views of the mold of the device, togetherwithother parts thereof as will be described presently;

Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive, are detail views of the parts shown in themolds of Figs. 3'and 4 as they appear when removed therefrom;

Figs. 9 and 10 are, respectively, an isometric view of a completedbuilding block and a crosssectional end view thereof; and

Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate further details of construction, theimportance of which is hereinafter fully described.

'In a frame I is mounted a hopper '4.v and a mold son generallylimitedft'o one compartment or the' parts therein and it"is to beunderstood that it pertains as well to the others. The casing iscentrally supported on a cylindrical member 8;

which constitutes the rod of a piston 9 and the" latter is mounted forsliding movement within a cylinder l0.

The bottom of the'casing is perforated as indicated at l5, see alsoFig.3; to receive a series" 68 34.35"connected with a-valve36,whichlatter-is of rods l6 and the latter are at the bottom thereofanchored in a platform IT. A pair of plates [8 is secured to the upperend of these rods and these plates are, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 5,shaped to fit loosely within the compartments of the casingv forvertical sliding movement therein. The platform, I! is supported on rodsi9, 20, of pistons 2|, 22, which ride within cylinders 23, 24, and thelatter are mounted on brackets of the framing. The plates 18 serve tosupport pallets 25 which, as indicated in Fig. 6, are substantiallyidentical with the plates in general configuration and which, like theplates,

, are freely seated within the casing for vertical movement therein.

Reference is now invited to Fig. 1 of the drawings, in which the deviceof my invention is shown in position to receive a charge of concrete. Itis important to note that the bottom of the hopper is held closed by aslide 26 to prevent the plastic concrete, with which the hopper isfilled, from discharging therefrom until the machine has been adjustedto receive acharge of concrete. The slide is at 21 shown connected to arod 28 which extends from the piston 29 of a cylinder 30 and it is, in amanner which will be described presently, moved'in the direction of thearrow of Fig. 2 to uncover the bottom opening of the hopper and so topermit the plastic concrete by gravity to flow into the spacessurrounding the cores 4, 5, 6 of the mold. V

The consistency of the concrete mixture should be so as to cause it toflow freely and to settle within and completely fill the open spaceswithin" the casing; It may, for the purpose of facilitating the settlingof the mixture and also in order to insure more perfect uniformitythereof, be

found advisable to provide means to induce settlement of the concrete"through the hopper, but as such' devices are commonly used, it is notthought necessary to make further mention thereof in this description.The slide 26 is returned to its initial position when the mold hasreceived'its charge thereby again to close the bottom opening of thehopper. The mechanism by means of which the slide is operated includes avalve 68 from which a conduit 6| extends to the'space in front of thepiston 29 and a second conduit 63 communicates with the space behind thepiston. This valve may be manually operated to carry fluid underpressure through one conduit or the other to effect the slide.

The cylinders 23,24 are by means of conduits the movements of v manuallyoperable to open a passage through a port 31 thereby to carry fluidunder pressure from a suitable source (not shown) to the underside ofthe pistons 2|, 22 and thereby to elevate the platform and the partssupported thereon into the position shown in Fig. 2, during whichmovement it is found that the concrete within the mold becomescompressed as required for the purpose of the invention.

Once the molds have been filled and compressed, it becomes necessary tolower the casing into the position shown in Fig. 1. A valve 40 is, forthis purpose, by a conduit 4| connected with the space above the piston9 of the cylinder Ill to admit fluid under pressure through a, conduit42 to the space above the piston and it is noticed that a conduit 43carries fluid from below the piston through the valve and a conduit 44back to the reservoir from which the fluid was taken. During thismovement ;of the casing, the valve 36 may be turned to cause pressurefluid to flow through the passage 31 and the conduit 34 to spaces abovethe pistons 2|, 22 thereby to depress these pistons and so to return theplates l 8 to their original position.

The casing is, in Fig. 1, shown in this lowered position and it isnoticed that the top surface of the plate 18 in this position, isaligned with the top surface of the casing; also that the pallet 25rests on top of the plate above the surface of the casing. It is nownoticed that a second pallet 25 rests on a table 50 in continuedalignment with the pallet 25. A cylinder is mounted on the frameadjacent. this table and the piston rod 52 of this cylinder isfitted'with a finger 53, the outer end of which is downwardly bent toengage the edge of the pallet 25. From the rear end of thiscylinderextends a conduit 54 to a valve 55 and the latter is set to carry fluidunder pressure through the conduit 54 to the cylinder thereby to,advance the piston rod to cause the finger 53 to'move the pallet 25 intocontact with the edge of the pallet 25 and subsequently to move both,pallets until the pallet 25 reaches a position of registration with themold. The pallet 25 is, at the same time, delivered to a conveyor 51which is suitably connected for movement in direction of the arrow,thereby to carry the pallet 25 and the finished concrete block supportedthereon away from its position below the hopper.. The upper reach of theconveyor 51 is shown supported on a series of freely rotatable rollers58 in order to facilitate movement of the concrete filled palletthereon.

Once the pallet 25 has been placed in position on the plate l8, itbecomes necessary to reverse the valve 55 tocause; a'pressure fluid toflow through a conduit 59 to the space in front of the piston within thecylinder 5| thereby to move the piston back into its initial position.Another pallet may then be placed on the table 50. The valve 40 is now.reversedtoc'ausethe'fluid to pass through the conduit .43? :intothe-space within the cylinder. IIJ' below'the piston 9, thereby to causethe latter to. rise and to'move the casing of the mold back intoitsinitial position. As the casing reaches its i'elevatedposition, it isnecessary again to. lower the plate I8, with the new pallet, to itsinitial position.

The cylinder 39, which, as stated, by means of the conduit BI isconnected with the valve 60 to carry fluid under pressurefrom theconduit 62 to the space within the cylinder in front of the pistonagainmoves the slide'26 in the directionpf-therarrow to open. the bottomof the hopper and so to afford the concrete mixture therein time to flowinto the mold. The valve 60 is thereupon reversed again to cause thefluid to flow through the conduit 63 to the space behind the piston 29thereby to return the slide to its initial position and so to close thebottom of the hopper. This completes the cycle of operation of thedevice.

The concrete block in this manner molded and finished is, in Figs. 9 and10, shown provided in the top surface thereof with recesses 65, 66 andit is important to note that ribs 61, 68 project from the bottom of theblock in continued alignment with these recesses. In order to make itpossible to produce these pockets and projections during the forming ofthe block, it is necessary to project similar ribs 69, 19 from thebottom surface of the slide 25, substantially as indicated in Figs. 11and 12. The pallets must also be made with recesses H, 12 which, whenthe pallets are seated within the casing and the slide is in hopperclosing position, are in vertical alignment with the ribs of the slide.

Grooved guides 15, 16 are secured to the framing in position to guidethe slide and to maintain it correctly positioned between the hopper andthe mold. It is also necessary properly to guide the pallets in theirpassage to the plates l8. The latter may, for this purpose, be made withribs 18 lengthwise extending through the center of the upper surfacethereof and of a size to seat in grooves 19 of the pallets. In additionit may be foundadvisable to place suitable guide members on the table59.

I claim:

1. In a concrete block molding machine having a vertically movablepallet carrying mold and a concrete receiving hopper, in combination, apallet receiving table, means for advancing a pallet from said table toa position above said mold while the latter is in its lowered positionthereby to align the pallet for settling movement within the mold, asupport for the pallet in the mold, means for moving said support toelevate the pallet within the mold after the latter has again beenelevated thereby to compress a charge of concrete delivered from thehopper to the mold, means for returning said support with its pallet andthe compressed charge of concrete thereon to its initial position duringthe subsequent lowering movement of the mold for horizontal alignmentwith a pallet on said pallet advancing means, advance movement of saidsecond pallet causing the block carrying product to slide away from itssupport.

2. In a concrete block molding machine having a vertically movablepallet carrying mold and a concrete receiving hopper, in combination, apallet receiving table, means for advancing a pallet from said table toa position above said mold while the latter is in its lowered positionthereby to align the pallet for settling movement within'the mold, asupport for the pallet in the mold, means for moving said support toelevate the .pallet within the mold after the latter has again beenelevated thereby to compress a charge of concrete delivered from thehopper to the mold, means for returning said support with its pallet andthe compressed charge of concrete thereon to its initial position duringthe subsequent lowerin movement of the mold for horizontal alignmentwith a pallet on said pallet advancing means, advance movement of saidsecond pallet causing the block carrying product to slide ,away from itssupport, and means fortransporting the block carrying pallet away fromthe machine.

3. In a concrete block molding machine having a vertically movablepallet carrying mold and a the pallet for settling movement within themold,

a support for the pallet in the mold, means for moving said support toelevate the pallet within the mold after the latter has again beenelevated thereby to compress the charge of concrete; delivered from thehopper to the mold, means for returning said supportwith its pallet andthe compressed charge of concrete thereon to its initial position duringthe subsequent lowering movement of the mold for horizontal alignmentsaid second pallet causing the block carrying" with the pallet on saidpallet advancing means, repeated movement of said plunger to advancepallet to slide away from its support.

4. In a concrete block molding machine having a vertically movablepallet carrying mold and a concrete receiving hopper, in combination, apallet receiving table, a plunger, means for moving said plunger toadvance a pallet from said table to a position above said mold while thelatter is in its lowered position thereby to align the pallet forsettling movement within the mold, a sup port for the pallet in themold, means for moving said support to elevate the pallet within themold after the latter has again been elevated thereby to compress thecharge of concrete delivered from the hopper to the mold, means forreturning said support with its pallet and the compressed charge ofconcrete thereon to its initial position during the subsequentloweringmovement of the mold for horizontal alignment with the pallet onsaid pallet advancing means, repeated movement of said plunger toadvance said 6 second pallet causing the block carrying pallet to slideaway from its support, and means for transporting the block carryingpallet away from the machine.

5. In a concrete block molding machine having a vertically movablepallet carrying mold and a concrete receiving hopper, in combination, apallet receiving table, means for advancing a pallet from said table toa position above said mold while the latter is in its lowered positionthereby to align the pallet for settling movement within the mold, asupport for the pallet in the mold, means for moving said support toelevate the pallet within the mold after the latter has again beenelevated thereby to compress a charge of concrete delivered from thehopper to the mold, means for returning said support with its pallet andthe compressed charge of concrete thereon to its initial position duringthe subsequent lowering movement of the mold for horizontal alignmentwith the pallet on said pallet advancing means, advance movement of saidsecond pallet causing the block carrying product to slide away from itssupport, and a conveyor in horizontal alignment with said second palletfor transporting the block carrying pallet away from the machine.

JAMES W. BRISCOE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,330,172 Crozier Feb. 10, 19201,695,327 Goldston Dec. 18, 1928 1,716,349 Wallace June 4, 19291,796,636 Toulmin, Jr. Mar. 17, 1931 2,120,943 Schutz June 14, 19382,231,064 Fearn Feb. 11, 1941

